Chapter 6: I’m Out

“Are you done yet?! (Experience Count: 1)”

“T-This prison’s security is abnormally strong!! Why would a remote castle like this…!! (Experience Count: 7)”

It seemed some kind of magic had been placed on the door in anticipation of such a situation, as Lunia struggled, sweating profusely.

While she wrestled with the lock, I continued banging my head.

The back of my head hurt. Even though I couldn’t see it, I imagined blood was flowing freely.

Needless to say, I had no intention of actually committing suicide, and I wanted to stop this foolish act immediately.

But seeing their panicked, sweating faces with every thud made it impossible to stop.

It was enjoyable. Although my head throbbed as if on fire, I could endure it for the sake of those dumbfounded expressions.

Thud!! Thud!!

Did the accelerating thudding sounds fuel their anxiety?

Las, staring at the lock with a mixture of panic and anxiety, suddenly pointed at the bars and shouted.

“Lunia!! There’s no time!! Shoot magic through the bars!! (Experience Count: 17)”

“O-Okay!! (Experience Count: 7)”

Immediately abandoning her attempts to unlock the door at Las’s command, Lunia reached through the bars and pointed her index finger at me.

A blue mist gathered at her fingertip, then shot towards me, piercing my body.

“What?”

“H-Huh? (Experience Count: 7)”

Although the magic clearly hit me, there was no change in my condition.

Wondering what had happened, I looked at the mage who had cast the spell, but she seemed just as clueless.

“What was that supposed to do?”

“…P-Put him to sleep. (Experience Count: 7)”

“I’m not sleepy.”

I was a little dizzy from hitting my head so much, but I wasn’t sleepy.

Rather, the back of my head burned, and I felt like I could keep doing this all day.

“Alright!!! Let’s go to heaven!!!”

“…Ugh!! (Experience Count: 17)”

Thud!! Thud!! Thud!!!

The sound of my head hitting the wall started again. Listening to the rhythmic thudding, Las, who had been staring at the bars, suddenly approached them.

He grabbed the bars and pulled them sideways. The bars snapped easily like chopsticks, creating a new opening in the prison.

“Huh, this really is a fantasy world.”

Stunned by the superhuman strength, I stopped banging my head and muttered to myself.

Las, having ripped through the bars and entered, wrapped his strong arms around me, restraining me so I couldn’t bang my head anymore.

“Hey!! I can’t kill myself like this!!”

His strength, almost like a vise, bound my body.

Even if I were in good condition, this strength would have rendered me helpless.

As I lay limp, unable to even struggle, the priestess, perhaps reading something in my eyes, spoke in a pleading voice.

“I understand how you feel!! But you shouldn’t throw away your life so easily!! There’s that saying…if you reverse ‘suicide,’ it becomes ‘live’! (Experience Count: 4)”

Bullsh*t. She’s stopping me because she’s afraid of divine punishment, but anyone listening would think a saint had descended.

The priestess’s voice overflowed with kindness, as if she were trying to stop my suicide out of pure goodwill, but it only felt like hypocrisy to me.

“Reverse suicide becomes live? That’s a very heartwarming saying. Alright, I won’t think about suicide anymore and live diligently.”

But regardless of my sentiment, this was the only time to end this ridiculous farce.

I couldn’t continue even if I wanted to, being restrained like this.

At my words, the priestess’s jaw dropped slightly, and she asked in a bewildered voice,

“W-What? (Experience Count: 4)”

“What ‘what’? I’m not going to kill myself. So, let go of me. It’s creepy being hugged from behind by a guy.”

“……” (Experience Count: 17)”

At my words, the strength in the arms that had firmly held me began to loosen.

The four of them suddenly glared at me. Penny, stepping forward on behalf of the three who were too stunned to speak, said,

“…Hey, were you playing us? (Experience Count: 1)”

“Of course I was. Did you really think I’d kill myself because of some uncertain divine punishment?”

A little rational thought would reveal how foolish it was to kill oneself over a potential, uncertain divine punishment.

If they couldn’t even grasp that simple fact, they weren’t naive, but stupid.

The girl, who had just realized her stupidity, drew her sword without hesitation and lunged at me.

“Penny!!! (Experience Count: 17)”

Las, parrying the sword filled with murderous intent with a single hand, restrained Penny, who was about to rush at me.

“Let go!! I’m going to kill him!! (Experience Count: 1)”

“Penny, wait!! Divine punishment might really…!! (Experience Count: 17)”

“Hey! Don’t stop her! I’m actually curious if there really is divine punishment.”

Las, still holding Penny, turned his head and glared at me.

“Shut up!! Why do you keep saying that!! (Experience Count: 17)”

“So, you bastard, I barely survive and wake up in a crappy prison even a beggar would refuse, and you expect me to be nice to you?”

“Th-That’s…!! (Experience Count: 17)”

“And the daughter of the guy who threw me in here even brought her friends to point at me and gossip. Do you think I’m a monkey in a zoo?”

“……” (Experience Count: 1)”

Perhaps a shred of conscience remained in her heart. Penny, held by Las and glaring at me, slowly lowered her sword and averted her gaze.

“Just because I speak jokingly doesn’t mean I’m happy.”

“…We admit we were wrong. But didn’t you also speak disrespectfully to His Majesty? (Experience Count: 4)”

“So, since logic doesn’t work, you’re resorting to authority? I’m the hero, right? Is a hero’s life so worthless that it can be snuffed out just for talking back to the king?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant… (Experience Count: 4)”

If I were the proper hero they expected, they would have tolerated any insults.

In short, it wasn’t a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of authority, of power.

“Well, what kind of authority would a half-baked hero like me have? Kill me out of spite or whatever. You deal with the consequences. I’m going to sleep.”

If the rats didn’t smell the blood and come to gnaw on the back of my head, I’d probably be alive tomorrow.

If I die…well, either the rats or these guys will receive divine punishment. If not, then so be it.

Painfully moving my protesting body, I rested my head on my arm and closed my eyes, trying to sleep.

I usually prefer lying on my back, but with the state of my head, I had no choice but to compromise.

“Wake me up when it’s lunchtime. I’m sleeping.”

“E-Excuse me…”

“…?”

The unexpected response to my rhetorical question came from an unexpected person.

Turning my head towards the bars, Jarvis, who had left to call the knights, had returned, tilting his head in confusion.

“W-What happened?!”

“Ask the guy who broke the bars. Don’t ask the guy who was quietly sitting in his cell.”

“Huh?”

“The bars? What are you… Oh, the prison?!! (Experience Count: 9)”

Jarvis returned empty-handed, but he wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by two unknown knights.

The knight who had been observing the situation from behind gasped at the sight of the broken bars.

Judging by his dumbfounded expression, breaking prison bars wasn’t something just any knight could do.

“Sir Las…and even the princess, what brings you to this humble place? And the prison…? (Experience Count: 9)”

“We wanted to see the hero, so we forced the princess to accompany us for a brief visit. And…I broke the prison, so report it that way to your superiors. Release the hero. (Experience Count: 17)”

Las must have held a high position among the knights, as the knight who had come with Jarvis couldn’t say a word and simply nodded.

“…Yes, sir. (Experience Count: 9)”

“Thank you. But what brings you here with Priest Jarvis? (Experience Count: 17)”

“Well…His Majesty ordered us to bring…the hero. (Experience Count: 9)”

Turning my head from the knight, I asked Jarvis,

“The king wants to see me?”

“Yes, His Majesty asked us to bring you to him respectfully. He has also prepared a meal, so let’s go.”

“A meal?”

I can’t resist food. My stomach, empty for days, rumbled pathetically.

“Hey, you, carry me.”

“…Huh? M-Me? (Experience Count: 9)”

The knight tilted his head, confused, as I suddenly pointed at him.

“I can’t walk yet because I haven’t recovered my strength. So, you have to carry me. Right?”

“…Yes, sir. (Experience Count: 9)”

“You look unhappy. Do you have a complaint? Should I ask that guy to carry me instead?”

As I gestured slightly towards Las, the knight paled and knelt on one knee, offering me his back.

“N-No, sir!! I’ll carry you!! (Experience Count: 9)”

I think I’m finally starting to understand how to deal with the people here. It’s not that different from Korea.

“See you later!! Thanks for the entertainment!!”